Antiskidding device for automobiles and the like.



H MILLER.

ANTISKIDDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA/1,1914.

1,132,20fi. Patented Mar.16,1915.v

2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTOR HARRY Ml LLU? WITNESSES.

ATT'Y? H. MILLER.

ANTISKIDDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES 51in THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1914- 1,} sggmgn Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHBETSr-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

HARRY MILLER, OF ST. TO CHARLES E. ST. BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

sens en LOUIS, IviEISSOURI, ASSIGNOR'OF FIFTY-FIVE ONE-HUNDREDTHS CLAIR AND TEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS TOJOSEPH'M. GRAHAM,

nr roe.

ANTISKIDDIN G DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

Application filed September 14, 1914. Serial No. 861,690.

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, HARRY Mmnun, a c1 t1- zen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement .-my pres :nt invention being to provide an -efiicient. and comparatively simple pneumatically operable anti-skidding or braking device for vehicles of the kind stated which may be quickly, easily, and conveniently operated to the ground whenever necessary or required to stop the ve;h1cle or prevent skidding. 2

With the above and other objects in view, my present invention. resides in certain novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which show the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a rear elcvational view of an aptomobile equipped with my invention; Fig. .2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is. a side elcvational view of the same, partly in section; Fig. l is a side elevational view of the engine of an automobile, show ing a slightly modified form of means for supplying the brake reservoir or tank with compressed air; Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the parts shown inFig. it; and 1* 1g. 6 is an inverted plan View ,of oneof the ground-cngaging members or brake-shoes.

Referring to the said drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the dead rear axle of an automobile, 2--2 the usual body-supporting springs, 3 the chassis or frame supported on springs 2-2, 4 the,

live'rear axle rotatable within dead axle 1 and adapted to be driven by a difierential or the like, not shown, operatively'arranged within ail-"housing 5, and u heels 6 -6 mounted on, and rotatable with, live axle 4:, all said parts being of any ordinary or approved construction. Preferably adjacent the inner face of each of said wheels 6-6, is a pair of upper and lower elongated llat metallic plates 7--7 extending lengthwise of frame 3, each pair of said plates or members 7-7 centrally encircling, and being rigidly fixed by means of bolts or other suitable means 8 in a horizontally disposed position on, axle 1, as seen particularly in Fig. 3. Fixed to,

and depending from, each of said lower plates or members 7, is a pair of verticallydisposed spaced-apart cylindrical rod-guiding'members 9-4) preferablycloscd at their lower end and open at their upper end,

upper plates or members 7 being tra nsversely perforated, as at 10, in alinement with said members 99, also as seen particularly in Fig. 3. Slidably movable lengthwise relatively to, and at their lower end projecting through the closed lower ends of, said rod-guiding members 99, are vol-ti cally-disposed rods 11 l1. Fastened adjacent its opposite ends to the projecting lower endsof each pair of said rods 1'11l is a horizontallydisposed ground-engaging memher or brake-shoe 12 preferably checkered or otherwise roughened on its under face, as at 13, so as, when operatively actuated, to positively frictionally engage or grip the ground or other surface upon which the automobile or vehicle may be. Coiled on rods 11-11 and partly housed by members 99, are expansion springs 15 15 interposed between the lowerend walls of said'mcmbers 9-9 and suitable heads or the like 14: fixed on the upper ends of said rods 1111, said springs 15'13 being adaptedto yieldingly maintain or hold rods 11-11 and. their carried shoes or ground-engaging members 12 in hormal or uppermost position with said sho'fcs out of engagement with the ground, as seen in full lines in Fig. 3. Also rigidly fixed on 'and carried by each pair of said plates or members 77, is a vcrtically-disposed compressed air cylinder 16 provided with a suitable piston-rod 17. Each pistonrod 17. at its upper end is provided within phere, an entrance-port, 'ahd an exitport. Leading rearwardly from the exit-port of Suitably arranged on they car or vehicle preferably at the front thereof, is a suitable preferably three-way valve 19 provided with a'spr-ing-pressed operating-member or stem 20 convenient to the? foot of'the operator. of the car, valve 19, as will be well understood, having an exhaust-port to atmosvalve 19 is a pipe or compressed-air passage 21 communicating through branchpipes 22-22 with the upper ends of said compressed-air cylinders l 616. Leading at one end from a suitable compressed air tank or reservoir 23 carried by the car or vehicle, is a compressed-air supply pipe 24 communicating at its other end with the en-' .trance-port of valve 19. Normally, as when valve operating-member or stem 20 is in the position thereof seen in Fig. 3, communication between pipes 24; and 21 through I valve 19 is cut off, the exhaust and exit ports of the valve being in open communication and cylinders 16 -16 hence exhausting to'atmosphere; on valve-operatingmember or stem 20 being depressed, communication between the exhaust and exit ports of the valve 19 is cut oil and communication es-. tablished' through valve 19 between said' pipes 24 and 21, the compressed air from reservoir or tank 23 flowing therefrom through ground, the compressed air-.in the cylinders said pipes into said cylinders 16'l'6. Consequently, in rise or operatiomon said valve operating-member or stem 20 being de-' pressed and compressed air from tank or reservoir 23 permitted to How into said cylinders 1616,'said piston-rods l7-- 17 will be actuated outwardly and brake-shoes or ground-engaging members 12- 12 with their supporting-rods 1111 will be pneumatically moved downwardly, against thetension of said springs 15-15,tooperatively engage the ground, the car, on the engagement of the members 12 with the ground, he

ing either stopped or prevented from skidding. 011 said members 12 being as describcd. projected into engagement with the 16-l-6 will, as will be evident, cushion the impact of the members 12 u on the ground I and thus prevent jarring o the occupants of the car or possible breakage of parts. Fm'thermore, when the members 12 are in operative or ground-engaging position, it will be seen that, should one or the other or both of the members 12 meet an obstruction, the. members 12 may longitudinally tilt at either end and thereby easily ride over the same. It will further be obvious that, depending upon the relative length or throw ofpistons 17 the members 12 and their supporting-rods 11 11 may be utilized to jack up the rear end of thecar, as, for-instance, inv the event of necessary repairs to the running gear of the car. On valve operatingo'penin member or stem 20 being permitted to re turn to normal position, communication betweenpipes 2 1 and 21 being thereby cut ofit and communication between pipe 21 and the exhaust-port of said valve 19 being estab lished, cylinders 16-16 will exhaust to the atmosphere, when brake-shoes ormembers 12 and their supporting rods 1111 will, under the tension of said springs 15-'15 be moved upwardly or returned to normal position;

While it is to be understood that tank or I reservoir 23 may obtain its sup ly of comf pressed air from any suitablesdii rce, I preferably supply the same with compressed air directly from the engine of thecar, and, to that end, I provide a pipe 25, having included therein a rea'rwardlyppening checkvalve 26, communicating" at'cne end with said tank or reservoir 23 and at its other end with a suitable T-pipe or coupling 27 lead ing to the explosion chamber of the engine 28 of the car. Thus compressed fluid from the engine, opening the valve 26, will flow into said tank or reservoir 23 for further use or consumption in pneumatically oper; ating said pistons 17-17.

When tank or.

reservoir 23 is fully supplied with com pressed air and valve 26 is prevented from by the pressure of the air in the reservoir or tank 23, the exhaust from the engine will pass to the atmosphere in the g usual way. Or, as another or modified means of supplying tank or reservior 23 with compressed air, I arrange, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, a suitable air compressing cylinder 29 on the car in operative position I relatively to the fiy wheel 30 of the engine v j 28, this cylinder 29 being of any ordinary or approved construction and being adapted'to through a suitable pipe or passage 31. Working in cylinder 29. is a piston 32 havng a crank engagement at its projecting end with a roller 33 adapted, when in operative position, to engage the periphery of fiy-wheel 30. Thus, on the rotation of flywheel 30, piston 32 will be recip'rocated in its cylinder 29, the air compressed in cylinder 2 9 flowing through said pipe 31 to the.

and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from thenature and principle oi my in ention.

105 communicate with tank or reservoir 23 5 Having thus described my invention, What I ,claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with an automobile or the like, including its rear axle, of an elongated support fixed on said axle and horizontally disposed relatively .to theframe of the automobile, rod-guiding members fixed on said support and disposed on opposite sides of said axle, headed-rods projecting through said members and slidably movable relatively thereto,'a ground-engaging member fastened to said rods, coiled'springs'on said,,.,;;ods interposed between .the heads thereof and said rod-guiding members, said springs being adapted to yieldingly maintainsaid rods and their carried ground-engaging member in normal inoperative position with said ground-engaging member out P of engagement with the ground, and means for pneumatically actuating said ground:

engaging member to engage the ground,

substantially as described.

,2. The combination with an automobile or the like, including its rear axle, of an elongated support fixed on said axle and horizontally disposed relatively to the frame of the automobile, rod-guiding members fixed on said support and disposed on opposite sides of said axle, headed-rods projecting through said members and slidably movablerelatively thereto, a ground-engaging member fastened to said rods, coiled springs on said rods for y'ieldingly maintaining said rods and their carried groundengaging member in normal inoperative position with said ground-engaging member out of engagement With the ground, a. com

, name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' ;H AR-RY MILLER.

Witnesses:

GHAs. ST. Cram,

JOSEPH M. GRArrAM. 

